Slide valve



R. J. OTT

SLIDE VALVE June 19, 1951 Filed OGC. 16, 1946 Patented June 19, 1951 DST TS PATNT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to slide valves and more particularly to valvesemployed in the actuating mechanism of gas meters.

The valve construction heretofore employed in gas meters has resulted inundue chatter after the metei has been in use sufficiently long for gumand impurities in the gas to accumulate on the valve surface. I havefound that when the valve actuating rod is attached to the valve at apoint in proximity to the plane of the valve seat or seating surface ofthe valve and approximately on a line normal to said plane andintersecting the center of mass of the valve body, valve seat chatter isentirely eliminated even after long periods of use.

.An object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a slide valvehaving its point of attachment with the actuating rod as close aspossible to the plane of the seating surface of the valve and either atthe center of mass of the valve body or at least on or closely adjacentto the line normal to said plane which intersects said center.

A further object of my invention is to provide a slide valve constructedso that access is afforded for attachment of the valve rod to the valvebody at or near said desirable point.

The invention resides further in certain structural details contributingto the aforesaid primary ends, said details being hereinafter describedand illustrated in the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View showing details of thevalve socket and valve rod attachment, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional elevational views showing modied forms ofvalve socket construction.

Like reference characters denote like parts in the several iigures ofthe drawings.

While certain novel features of the invention are disclosed'herein inconsiderable detail with respect to certain particular forms ofthelinvention, it is not desired that the invention be limited to suchdetails since many changes and modifications may well be made withoutdeparture from the spirit of the invention in its broader aspects.

Referring now to the drawings, valve body IIJ with its semi-cylindricalchamber 9 opening to the seating face of the valve is generally similarto slide valves commonly used in gas meters.

The valve assembly includes guide rods II and I2 which operate in guideposts I3 and I4 to retain the valve body IIJ in alignment with the valveseat I5 of the gas meter I6. Valve seat I 5 has a plurality of ports Il,I8 and i9 arranged in conventional manner. Guides I I and I2 as well asaligning posts I3 and I4 may be positioned diagonally opposite eachother as i1- lustrated in Fig. l or centrally opposite or in any othermanner which may be preferred.

In operation, the valve is reciprocated on the seat I5 through themedium of a valve rod 23, this rod being actuated in turn from a crankarm 24. As stated above, tendency of the valve to chatter may beeliminated by attaching the rod to the valve body at a point havingspecified relation to the seating surface and the center of mass of saidbody.

The point of attachment should if possible lie in the plane of theseating surface of the valve and at the center of mass of the valvebody, and otherwise as close as possible to said plane and at least onor near a line normal to the plane and intersecting said center. In theconventional construction, however, a point having the required relationboth to the seating surface and to the center of mass is containedwithin the charnber 9 and is not accessible for attachment of theexternal actuating rod. The present invention provides a valveconstruction aifording such access.

In accordance with the invention, valve body I0 is provided with acentral pocket or recess 2G which extends downwardly through the chamber9 substantially to the valve seat I 5 there being suiicient clearance toprevent scufing in the event of wear on the seating surface 2I of valvemember Ill. The pocket is located so as to contain the center of mass ofthe valve body. Located on the inside 0f the pocket 2c is pin 22securely attached to the base of the pocket and either containing or insubstantial alignment vertically with the said center of mass. Inassembly recess 2t receives one terminal end, 26, of a valve rod 23which is connected at the other end to a crank arm 24. The end 2S isbifurcated and is provided at the extremity with an aperture 25 forreception of the pin 22, said aperture being in alignment with thelongitudinal center line of the said terminal end portion of the rodwhich occupies the recess 20. Valve rod 23 has a goose neck congurationto provide clearance with the valve body, the only contact between rodand valve body being through pin 22 and the end surface of the rod. Theportion 3 of the rod 23 which adjoins the crank arm 24 and extends tothe base of the goose neck is in substantial alignment with the pin 22.It will be noted that the said end surface of rod 23` which rests on thebottom pocket 20 is rounded and that the inner face of aperture 25 mayalso be rounded if desired and is tted to the pin in a manner topreclude any substantial lost motion. It is apparent that with thisconstruction the point of attachment of the rodl 23 fwith the valve bodyis in close proximity to the seating Asurface of the valve and is eitherat the center of mass of the valve body or on the aforesaid normal lineintersecting the center. It is to ,be noted that loss of volumetriccapacity in the chamber 9 resulting from the intersection thereof by thepocket 20 may be compensated-byV correspondingly enlarging the chamber.

Fig. 4 illustrates 'a modied form of `pocket in the valve wherein thesides of the pocket are substantially parallel as in'Fig. 3 but thebottom of pocket is rounded to receive the ,ball end Fig. shows a stillfurthermodication in the shape oi the pocket in that it isconstructedwith tapered sides and a rounded bottom. Arm 232 in thisconstruction terminates in a generally cylindrical portion 28 with arounded end 29 ,which nts the rounded bottom of the pocket.

It will be apparent that in all of the aforedescribed embodiments theattachment between the rod 23 and of the valve i9 is in the nature of aball and socket joint affording the valve entire freedom for selfadjustment to the seat i5 without lost In each case the point ofattachment at which the force is applied to the valve body through thevalve rod is at or near the center of mass of the valve and also closelyadjacent to Valve seat I5.

Having thus describedmy invention, I claim:

1. In a mechanically actuated, horizontally movable slide valve of thegas meter type comprising a, chamber arranged for selective registrationwith a plurality of portson a horizontally isposed seat for directing ahow of fluid between said ports and wherein contact between the slidevalve elenientand said horizontally disposed seat upon which saidelement slides is maintained primarily by gravity, an actuating member,and means for connecting said member to the valve element at a pointsubstantially within the plane of the seating surface of the element onsaid seat and approximately on a line normal to said seatinotion betweenthe rod and the valve.-

Vof Asaid element,

pocket and approximately on a line intersecting the center of mass ofsaid element and normal to the plane of said seating surface.

3.A slidevalve according to claim 1 wherein the said valve element isprovided with a pocket in thewtop thereof extending downwardly toward ytheseating surface and terminating in a bottom portion located in a plane substantially within the plane of said seating surface, and wherein-further the. actuating member takes the form of a longitudinallyreciprocatory rod extending in major part substantially parallel and inproximity .to the. plane of the seating surface of the valve, said rodhaving an offset portion extending upwardly over theA top of .the valveelement and `downwardly into said pocket, and having a drivingconnection with said element at a point in the bottom of said pocket ina plane substantially within the plane of saidseating surface.

ROBERT J. OTT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED lSTATES PATENTS Number lName Date 113,616 1 Barrett Apr. 11, 1871543,634 Scoville July 30, 1895 630,334 Mann Aug. 8, 1899 649,028 .Wrenn.May 8, 1900 979,084 Mulder Dec. 20, 1910 1,241,326 VBartholomew Sept.25, 1917 1,275,920 Hibbard Aug. 13, 1918 1,790,168 .Paul Jan. 27, 19311,854,918 Adams Apr. 19, 1932 1,863,759 1 McGraw June 21, 1932IETOREIGNA PATENTS Number Country Date 505,535 Germany Feb. 4, 1927585,695 France Mai-.5, 1925

